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Magic and Kareem may be gone, but Shaq will finally be part of Showtime anyway.

By IGN Staff

He was only in high school during the glory days of the Showtime, the polished, high energy playing style of the champion Los Angeles Lakers teams, but Shaquille O'Neal has found a way in 1999 to finally get in on the act. As the new cover boy/pitch man for Midway's NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC, O'Neal will be part of all advertising campaigns and other marketing efforts for the two-on-two arcade hoop game.

This would mark O'Neal's return to the world of corporate advertising after he took Madison Avenue by storm in the early 1990's. Hopefully things will be better for Shaq this time around. The last time we saw Shaquille O'Neal in a big commercial he was begging Michael J. Fox for a sip of Pepsi at the Forum.

"Video games have always been the next best thing to being there for me," said Shaquille O'Neal. "NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC has the hottest graphics I've ever seen. Playing the game is like watching an NBA highlight film. NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC is everything I love about basketball and I am looking forward to putting my mark on future versions."

Even though there is now free throw shooting included in this arcade smash, IGN64 believes O'Neal is sincere in his appreciation for the NBA Showtime.

Not only will future versions of Showtime have Shaq's touch, but Midway has hinted that the perennial All-Star may appear in other games from the company. We're keeping our fingers crossed to see O'Neal in a game like Paperboy rather than Mortal Kombat because the wounds from Shaq Fu still run deep.

IGN64 will have more on Showtime, Shaquille O'Neal and possibly his next movie as new information becomes available or if we simply can't resist the temptation.